Norm Price knows that both Canadians and Americans drink plenty of bottled beer, and he is also pretty sure that most of them toss the twist-off caps in the garbage.

The Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, entrepreneur is out to change the habits of beer drinkers and tavern owners, believing the steel caps can serve a useful extended life.

At his www.bottlecaplure.com Web site, Price and his company offer fishing lures made from the steel caps, offering six packs of the lures in a variety of customized configurations.

The lures work (just check out the Web site’s “Braggin’ Board”), they are good for the environment and they are great conversation starters, says Price. “This way, they don’t end up in lakes, rivers and streams,” says Price of the potential throw-away locations for used caps.

Working with a series of environmentally concerned fellow citizens who ship him collected beer and soft drink caps, Price says he is now collecting between 500,000 and 1 million caps per month. (Those interested in adding to the collection title can go to www.hookedonrecycling.com to find out more.)

Currently, just a single-digit percentage of those caps end up as lures while the rest are being stockpiled to be taken to a scrap yard for their recyclable steel value.

Price believes that with a concerted collection network from tavern, club and restaurant owners in particular, the number of caps recycled could multiply.

On the sales side, he has received publicity from outdoors publication Field & Stream, and is making contact with major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Flying J Truck Stops to expand his retail presence.

Initially, Price had hoped that brewing companies would be natural allies. Instead, he was dismayed to initially receive a “cease and desist” order from at least one brewer.

However, Price believes that the brewers and soft drink giants will back off from enforcing any such orders, since if they press to retain ownership rights to the caps they could be setting themselves up for product stewardship inquiries from states and provinces.

Price says his first goal has been accomplished. “We wanted to show how with a little effort we can collect so many of these,” he remarks.

But even collecting 1 million caps per month, Price says there is a lot more that can be done. “Molson-Coors—just one brewer—produces about 2 billion caps per year for the Canadian market alone, so if you start adding in the U.S. market, you can see the enormity of it.”

Wednesday, May 4, 2005

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